KARACHI: The retail price of chicken across the country went up over the weekend, with Karachi seeing a record peak of up to Rs370 per kg for live bird followed by over Rs600 per kg in its meat price due to rising demand ahead of Eidul Fitr on Monday.

The price of boneless chicken meat has reached Rs800 per kg which is higher than the price of veal (bachia) meat with bone at Rs750 per kg.

A number of retailers in various areas were seen charging Rs340-370 per kg as against Rs300-330 per kg at the start of Ramazan, while the clean broiler meat rate has crossed Rs600 per kg from Rs500 per kg. Even some retailers demanded an additional Rs 10–30 per kg if buyers insisted on only a breast piece. Muneer Chicken near Rafhai Aam Hospital in the FB Area is demanding Rs640 per kg for clean broiler meat.

According to Sensitive Price Indicators (SPI) weekly data ending April 28 versus the period ending March 31, Karachi residents continue to be the worst hit in terms of paying the highest price for broiler live birds. According to SPI data, the price in Karachi is Rs330-350 per kg, compared to Rs280 in Islamabad, Rs255-275 in Rawalpindi, Rs252 in Gujranwala, Rs255 in Sialkot, Rs315-320 in Hyderabad, Rs310 in Sukkur, Rs300 in Larkana, Rs261 in Peshawar, Rs280 in Bannu, and Rs310-320 in Quetta.

Senior Vice Chairman Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) Ghulam Khaliq said, “30-40 per cent of poultry bird supplies are arriving from Punjab in the Karachi markets.”

Attributing high prices in Karachi to low production, weather variations and massive demand ahead of Eid, he said the farm rate in Karachi hovers between Rs295 and Rs305 per kg.

Another reason is the more than doubled rate of soybean at Rs155 per kg due to an increase in sales tax, which is a main ingredient of poultry feed, followed by a 17 per cent sales tax on medicines and vaccines.

He stated that the arrival of soybean meal from Ukraine and the United States has been halted.

Mr Khaliq predicted a 30pc drop in prices after Eid due to a break in demand.

Surprisingly, the Commissioner Karachi has fixed the rates of live birds and their meat at Rs235 and Rs365 per kg but these rates remained ineffective in the markets throughout the holy month, thus exposing the price regulator’s inefficiency in rescuing the consumers’ interests. There was not a single shop which displayed the official price list of chicken meat.

The same is the case with mutton, which continued to sell at over Rs1,500 per kg as against the officially fixed rate of Rs1,220 per kg.

Despite the official price of veal meat with and without bones at Rs660 and Rs825 per kg, consumers are paying Rs850-900 and Rs750-800 per kg, respectively.

Published in Dawn,May 3rd, 2022